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| (the pièce de résistance: challah with dark chocolate) |
so...maybe it's the hottest day of the year so far, but, frankly, the couple of hours i spent indoors baking with the oven on were much more comfortable than the time i spent doing a little work in the 'ole garden (insert ode to central air).
anyway, i always keep two kinds of home-baked bread at the ready: wheat (*post on the wheat recipe another time) and CHALLAH (holla'!!!!). i have discovered the addictively delicious result of adding some dark chocolate pieces to the latter, so i always do at least one loaf with 'em, which i call (drums, please): "jewish pain au chocolat."
and just lemme tell you: it is TO DIE FOR...not to toot my own horn or anything, but this is one for the ages. in fact, i have to restrain myself from making it too often for when i do, i go into "competitive-eater-mode" and demolish the majority of it in one sitting. oops.
and just lemme tell you: it is TO DIE FOR...not to toot my own horn or anything, but this is one for the ages. in fact, i have to restrain myself from making it too often for when i do, i go into "competitive-eater-mode" and demolish the majority of it in one sitting. oops.
so, thought i'd let you in on my recipe in case you wanna give it a go:
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(CHOCOLATE CHIP) CHALLAH
-adapted from "joy of cooking," egg bread/challah
total time (including risings): 3 1/2 to 4 hours
difficulty (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being most difficult): 3.5
-adapted from "joy of cooking," egg bread/challah
total time (including risings): 3 1/2 to 4 hours
difficulty (on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being most difficult): 3.5
ingredients:
-2 packages active dry yeast (or about one tablespoon, if you buy your yeast in bulk, like i do!)
-3 tablespoons, plus one teaspoon sugar
-2 cups, plus 1/4 cup warm water (between 105° and 115°, but i never use a thermometer. warm to the touch, but not HOT out of the tap'll do ya)
-6 cups bread flour (all-purpose will work if it's all you've got)
-1 tablespoon salt (i use finely ground sea salt, but whatever will do)
-3 slightly beaten eggs (room temp or thereabouts)
-1/4 cup vegetable shortening, plus more for greasings (also room temp)
(-1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips/whathaveyou, per loaf that you wish to chocolatize. i use ghirardelli "60% cacao, bittersweet chocolate"), optional
1. combine the yeast, the one teaspoon of sugar, and the 1/4 cup warm water, set aside
2. combine the flour and the salt, "sift" (i do not actually own a sifter. i find that "fluffing" with a fork while combining works well) in your standing mixer bowl (or other large mixing bowl)
3. combine the 2 cups warm water, the eggs, the vegetable shortening, and the 3 tablespoons sugar in a separate, medium-sized bowl
4. check yeast to make sure it's activated (should be slightly frothy/foamy. if it's not, discard and re-do that step). assuming yeast mixture is good-to-go, add it to and combine with the water/egg/shortening mixture
5. make a deep well (divet or pit) in your flour mixture. add the combined yeast/egg/shortening and attach bowl to your standing mixer
6. turn setting on 2 or 3 to begin to stir and combine what will be your challah dough (if you are not using a standing mixer, simply begin to stir to combine. this recipe does not require a machine, it just makes it a heck-of-a-lot easier . . .)
7. watch for the dough to form a ball that pulls nearly completely away from the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl [you may have to play with adding more water or flour in small increments at this point (water if the dough is not coming together and is "dry" looking; flour if the dough is wet-looking, sticky, not forming a ball nor pulling away from sides, etc)]. when this ball-formation happens, turn your mixer down to its lowest setting (if you are mixing by hand, turn your ball of dough out on a floured surface and begin to knead. do so for about ten minutes). let the machine continue to knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes
8. turn dough out (useful tidbit: "turn out" is a fancy way to say: dump) on a clean countertop
9. grease the mixing bowl or another very large mixing bowl (i use shortening to grease, but butter or veg oil would be perfectly fine)
10. place the dough inside the (now greased) bowl. now, pick it up and turn it over (so that now the top is a little lubed up as well as the bottom and sides)
11. it's time to rise. i employ many a method. perhaps my favorite (both in general and certainly for this recipe) is: run the tap water till it's as hot as it gets. fill a shallow baking pan with the very hot water. place the hot-water-filled pan on the bottom rack of your oven. place the dough (i cover it with a dish-towel out of habit, though this precaution isn't likely necessary given the draft-lessness of the enclosed oven space) on the rack closest to the bottom (you may want to remove the third, empty rack, if you have one, to ensure adequate space for the dough to rise)
12. wait one hour or until the dough has doubled in size
13. remove the dough from the oven/its rising quarters
-3 tablespoons, plus one teaspoon sugar
-2 cups, plus 1/4 cup warm water (between 105° and 115°, but i never use a thermometer. warm to the touch, but not HOT out of the tap'll do ya)
-6 cups bread flour (all-purpose will work if it's all you've got)
-1 tablespoon salt (i use finely ground sea salt, but whatever will do)
-3 slightly beaten eggs (room temp or thereabouts)
-1/4 cup vegetable shortening, plus more for greasings (also room temp)
(-1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chunks/chips/whathaveyou, per loaf that you wish to chocolatize. i use ghirardelli "60% cacao, bittersweet chocolate"), optional
1. combine the yeast, the one teaspoon of sugar, and the 1/4 cup warm water, set aside
2. combine the flour and the salt, "sift" (i do not actually own a sifter. i find that "fluffing" with a fork while combining works well) in your standing mixer bowl (or other large mixing bowl)
3. combine the 2 cups warm water, the eggs, the vegetable shortening, and the 3 tablespoons sugar in a separate, medium-sized bowl
4. check yeast to make sure it's activated (should be slightly frothy/foamy. if it's not, discard and re-do that step). assuming yeast mixture is good-to-go, add it to and combine with the water/egg/shortening mixture
5. make a deep well (divet or pit) in your flour mixture. add the combined yeast/egg/shortening and attach bowl to your standing mixer
6. turn setting on 2 or 3 to begin to stir and combine what will be your challah dough (if you are not using a standing mixer, simply begin to stir to combine. this recipe does not require a machine, it just makes it a heck-of-a-lot easier . . .)
7. watch for the dough to form a ball that pulls nearly completely away from the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl [you may have to play with adding more water or flour in small increments at this point (water if the dough is not coming together and is "dry" looking; flour if the dough is wet-looking, sticky, not forming a ball nor pulling away from sides, etc)]. when this ball-formation happens, turn your mixer down to its lowest setting (if you are mixing by hand, turn your ball of dough out on a floured surface and begin to knead. do so for about ten minutes). let the machine continue to knead the dough for about 3-5 minutes
8. turn dough out (useful tidbit: "turn out" is a fancy way to say: dump) on a clean countertop
9. grease the mixing bowl or another very large mixing bowl (i use shortening to grease, but butter or veg oil would be perfectly fine)
10. place the dough inside the (now greased) bowl. now, pick it up and turn it over (so that now the top is a little lubed up as well as the bottom and sides)
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| (what the dough looks like at this stage)* |
11. it's time to rise. i employ many a method. perhaps my favorite (both in general and certainly for this recipe) is: run the tap water till it's as hot as it gets. fill a shallow baking pan with the very hot water. place the hot-water-filled pan on the bottom rack of your oven. place the dough (i cover it with a dish-towel out of habit, though this precaution isn't likely necessary given the draft-lessness of the enclosed oven space) on the rack closest to the bottom (you may want to remove the third, empty rack, if you have one, to ensure adequate space for the dough to rise)
12. wait one hour or until the dough has doubled in size
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| (the dough, post-rising/doubling) |
14. punch down the now risen dough (literally, ball up your fist and punch it into the middle of the dough; kinda fun, really)
15. turn out the punched-down, risen dough
16. divide the dough into two equal parts, and knead each piece by hand for a couple of minutes (toward the end of this kneading is when you add the chocolate pieces, if you wish to do so. just incorporate them into the dough)
17. grease a large baking sheet (again, i use shortening, here)
18. braid the loaves (perhaps the trickiest step) [i apologize for not having any shots of this process. next time i bake, i will take some and add them to the post]:
*i have made double the recipe in these photos. i apologize for any confusion.
now, go forth and create! feel free to post with any questions/comments/etc.
15. turn out the punched-down, risen dough
16. divide the dough into two equal parts, and knead each piece by hand for a couple of minutes (toward the end of this kneading is when you add the chocolate pieces, if you wish to do so. just incorporate them into the dough)
17. grease a large baking sheet (again, i use shortening, here)
18. braid the loaves (perhaps the trickiest step) [i apologize for not having any shots of this process. next time i bake, i will take some and add them to the post]:
- cut each of the two sections of dough (each of which will comprise an entire loaf) into three equal-ish parts
- roll each third into a (roughly) cylindrical shape of (roughly) 12 inches
- lay the three pieces side-by-side on the greased baking sheet
- starting in the middle, loosely braid the three sections, center to end. tuck end under. then, braid the other half from center to the other end (this doesn't have to look like perfection), tucking end under to finish, again
- repeat with the other three pieces
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| (the now-formed, braided dough, ready to rise a second time) |
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| (another shot of the braided dough) |
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| (one final shot, with a close-up of the dough with the chocolate) |
19. cover the now-formed loaves with a dish towel and allow them to rise a second time (this can usually be accomplished just out, wherever in the kitchen. if it's super cold weather, maybe stick the baking sheet back in the oven for this phase) until nearly doubled in bulk (usually about 45-60 minutes)
20. brush the now-twice-doubled loaves of dough with french egg wash (one egg yolk slightly beaten and diluted with one-to-two tablespoons of milk)
21. now, to bake:
- pre-heat oven to 375° on pure convection (if you don't have an oven with a convection feature, pre-heat to 400°)
- put the baking sheet with the loaves on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven
- bake for 10-15 minutes
- reduce heat to 350° (375° if non-convection) and bake until the bread begins to golden on top and sides (about 15-20 minutes more, convection, slightly longer in regular oven)
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| (the finished product!) |
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| (all done!) |
now, go forth and create! feel free to post with any questions/comments/etc.
Mmmm... looks sooo yummy! I'm impressed you do something regularly that requires that much work... Too labor intensive for me to do often, probably!
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